Board of Directors

Christopher Samuel is an experienced Chair and non-executive director with financial services expertise. He was appointed to the Board in January 2025 and became Chair in July 2025. Formerly the Chief Executive of Ignis Asset Management, Christopher also held board level executive positions at several asset management businesses including Gartmore, Hill Samuel Asset Management and Cambridge Place Investment Management. Prior to that he worked at Prudential-Bache and KPMG, where he qualified as a chartered accountant. Christopher is a non-executive director of Quilter plc, having previously been Chair of Quilter Financial Planning Limited. He is chair of Oakley Capital Investments Limited. He was previously the Chair of BlackRock Throgmorton Trust plc, Chair of JP Morgan Japanese Investment Trust plc and a director of Alliance Trust, Sarasin, UIL and UIL Finance Limited.

Patrick Maxwell is the Regius Professor of Physic and head of the School of Clinical Medicine at Cambridge University. He was appointed a Director in 2016 and is senior independent Director. Patrick has extensive knowledge and experience of the biotechnology sector and has made important research discoveries concerning how cells sense oxygen. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2005. He is currently a member of the boards of Cambridge University Health Partners, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Enterprise and the International Biotechnology Trust PLC.

Mark FitzPatrick was appointed to the Board in 2021 and became Chair of the Audit Committee in 2022. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer for St. James's Place in December 2023, where he is responsible for setting the strategic direction and vision for growth for the UK's largest financial advice firm. Mark was previously Group Chief Executive Officer of Prudential plc until February 2023. Prior to this he was the Group Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer of Prudential plc from 2017 to 2022. Mark led the Prudential's Group Executive Committee, was a member of its Board, and had overall responsibility for the executive management and leadership of the business. Mark also served as Chair of the Prudential Diversity & Inclusion Council and Chair of the Group ESG Committee. Prior to joining Prudential in 2017, Mark was a Managing Partner at Deloitte and a member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Deloitte, UK. He was Vice Chairman of Deloitte between 2011 and 2015. Mark previously led Deloitte's insurance & investment management audit practice and its insurance industry practice. He worked at Deloitte for 26 years, advising global insurance and investment management clients. He is currently on the Board of the British Heart Foundation, where he chairs their Audit and Risk Committees.

Sharon Flood was appointed to the Board in 2023 and became Chair of the Remuneration Committee in 2026. Sharon is a Non-Executive Director of Getlink SE, where she is Chair of Safety and Security, and of CityFibre, where she is Chair of Audit. Sharon previously served as Chair of Seraphine Group PLC and S T Dupont SA, and as a non-executive director at Pets at Home PLC, Crest Nicholson PLC, Network Rail Ltd, The Go-Ahead Group Limited and Govia Thameslink Railway Limited. She has chaired Audit, Remuneration and ESG committees. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Sharon has also held leadership roles at Sun European Partners and the John Lewis Partnership. She is Chair of Council of the University of Bath and was formerly a Trustee of the University of Cambridge, the Science Museum Group and Shelter.

Stephanie Leung is the Co-founder and CEO of KareHero Group, a social mission driven enterprise that helps working adults balance their careers while caring for elderly relatives. She was appointed a Director in 2023. She has spent approximately 25 years in executive leadership roles in large enterprise and tech-led businesses across the globe, most notably as part of Uber's EMEA leadership team, overseeing operations across 20 countries, and as DEI Co-Chair and Head of EMEA for Women@Uber. She also formed part of Uber's NED team in the UK. Earlier in her career, Stephanie was Chief Projects Officer at Monitor Group and CEO of Greater China at HAVI Group, eventually becoming the youngest member to join the global board, overseeing 40 countries as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer. Stephanie began her career at Goldman Sachs as a Financial Analyst.

Vikram was appointed to the Board in 2023. He is a partner and Head of India at L Catterton, a consumer focused private equity firm with c.$40bn assets under management globally. In this capacity, he leads the firm's India Fund which partners with late stage growth businesses in the Indian consumer market. He was formerly the Global Head of Treasury, Strategy and Corporate Development at Unilever where he led portfolio development, capital allocation and financial strategy with responsibility for corporate strategy, treasury operations, M&A sourcing and execution, competitor intelligence and corporate venturing. He has lived and worked in Mumbai, Singapore, London and Jakarta.

Heather Manners was appointed to the Board on 1 January 2026. She is an award-winning market professional with some 34 years' experience of investment in Asia, the most recent 15 of which were spent as the co-founder, CEO and CIO of Prusik Investment Management. She is the Chair of Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited, a non-executive director of Montanaro Asset Management, and a non-executive director of Collidr Asset Management. She was previously a non-executive director of Aberdeen New Dawn. Heather began her career at Henderson Global Investors Limited, where, latterly, she was Head of Asia and Emerging Markets.